1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to resting and sleeping quarters for an aircraft crew, and more particularly concerns overhead aircraft crew resting and sleeping quarters with amenities and emergency equipment, in a space-saving and weight-saving configuration occupying substantially otherwise unused space aboard an aircraft.
2. Description of Related Art
Resting or sleeping facilities are commonly provided for the crew and/or passengers of ships, boats, trucks, buses, and the like when they are used for transportation of cargo or passengers over long distances. However, such facilities have been more uncommon for long distance airline flights, due to aircraft weight constraints and limitations of available space aboard aircraft. Bunks for crew members aboard ship, for example, are typically constructed of heavy metal frames bolted together to provide a heavy structure inappropriate for aircraft.
One approach to an aircraft crew rest facility is currently available that provides configurations having 6 or 7 bunks. However, the crew rest facility is located in the lower lobe cargo bay of the aircraft, and occupies otherwise valuable cargo space, resulting in a loss of full freight capability for the aircraft. The weight of the crew rest facility is approximately 2,200 pounds, which further limits the capacity of the aircraft for carrying cargo or passengers.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an improved configuration for a crew rest and sleeping station with increased capacity for crew members, includes all necessary amenities and emergency equipment to meet the requirements of flight regulations, and principally occupies an area of the aircraft that is otherwise generally unused. It would also be desirable to provide a crew rest and sleeping station that has a space-saving and weight-saving configuration that minimizes the reduction in capacity of the aircraft for carrying cargo or passengers. The present invention meets these needs.